RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS \u2013 <\/strong>When Rebekah Hernandez chose her major, her family was concerned. She remembers them asking, \u201cAre you sure you want to do this? Do you even have job opportunities with this? What is going to happen with your life?\u201d<\/p>\n Hernandez, a UTRGV graduate student in the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences (SEEMS), said her father just wanted to make sure she didn\u2019t live paycheck to paycheck.<\/p>\n But for Hernandez, environmental science was more than just a course of study. It was work that needed to be done.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to be part of what\u2019s being done to conserve our waters and conserve what\u2019s in our oceans. I\u2019m concerned about habitats that are being degraded, habitats that are being destroyed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Dr. David Hicks, SEEMS director, said the perception that environmental science careers do not have earning potential may be a contributing factor to an underrepresentation of minorities in the field.<\/p>\n Rebekah Hernandez, a UTRGV SEEMS graduate student, in November participated in a NOAA expedition from Panama City, Panama, to Key West, Florida, in November. Photo courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a matter of them not really knowing there are well-paying, rewarding jobs in the sciences, other than being a physician,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In 2016, the\u00a0Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>\u00a0reported that pay for environmental scientists and specialists ranged from $41,220 to $120,320, with a median annual wage of $68,910.<\/p>\n The agency also predicted these jobs will grow faster than the average of all occupations until 2026.<\/p>\n While minorities are currently a small part of that workforce, UTRGV is working with other organizations to see they are well represented in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of state and federal programs that target training for minority students in order to increase their representation in the science fields,\u201d Hicks said.<\/p>\n \n NOAA<\/strong><\/p>\n UTRGV is one of six minority-serving universities in the nation participating in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems. The program\u2019s mission is \u201cto recruit, train and graduate students, particularly from underrepresented communities.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe program actually provides very attractive support for both undergraduate and graduate students that relates to marine coastal and environmental science,\u201d Hicks said.<\/p>\n Professional development, like r\u00e9sum\u00e9 writing and networking, is included.<\/p>\n Hernandez said the grant she received has opened many doors for her.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m on a NOAA grant. With this grant, you get to meet a lot of NOAA scientists,\u201d she said. \u201cIt opens a lot of job opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n She traveled to Mississippi in July as part of a class to learn about coastal and marine resources, and in November, the UTRGV graduate student was part of an eight-day expedition from Panama City, Panama, to Key West, Florida, conducting ocean-floor mapping.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s one of those experiences that you don\u2019t want to miss out on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n SHIP-GEO<\/strong><\/p>\n Another program at UTRGV aiming to increase minority representation in environmental sciences is\u00a0SHIP-GEO, which stands for Stimulating Hispanic Participation in the Geosciences<\/a>. Participants get hands-on experience during field trips, and their families are invited.<\/p>\n \u201cWe try to encourage family to participate, because we want to change their thinking in terms of their child, in terms of career,\u201d said Dr. Chu-Lin Cheng, a UTRGV assistant professor for SEEMS and the Department of Civil Engineering.<\/p>\n \u201cThe family impression is that if you go play in the dirt \u2013 in the environment \u2013 that\u2019s not a good money-making career in the long run,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n![\"Rebekah](\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Photo-Courtesy-of-the-National-Oceanic-and-Atmospheric-Administration.jpg\")
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